Mundell Lowe
Mundell Lowe (born April 21, 1922) is an American jazz guitarist, composer, and conductor who has performed with many notable jazz and popular musicians. He produced film and TV scores in the 1970s, such as the Billy Jack soundtrack and music for Starsky and Hutch, and worked with André Previn's Trio in the 1990s. video:Mundell Lowe Darn That Dream Lowe was born in Laurel, Mississippi on 21 April 1922. In the 1930s he played country music and Dixieland jazz. |accessdate =20 March 2011}} He later played with big bands and orchestras, and on television in New York City. In the 1960s, Lowe composed music for films and television in New York City and Los Angeles. He has performed and/or recorded with Billie Holiday, Bobby Darin, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Helen Humes, Roy Buchanan, Charles Mingus, Stan Getz, Doc Severinsen, Kai Winding, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae, Benny Carter, Herb Ellis, Tal Farlow, Barry Manilow, André Previn, Ray Brown, Kiri Te Kanawa, Tete Montoliu, Harry Belafonte and others.Varga, G. Mundell Lowe: Man of Few Notes, Many Stories, JazzTimes, December 2008 Lowe was responsible for introducing the pianist Bill Evans to producer Orrin Keepnews resulting in Evan's first recordings under his own leadership.Myers, M.,Mundell Lowe Interview, JazzWax, January 14, 2008 Lowe is a regular featured performer at the annual W. C. Handy Music Festival and a member of the W. C. Handy Jazz All-Stars. During the late 1970s and early 1980s Lowe was also a well-respected teacher at Dick Grove Music Workshop, later the Grove School of Music, in Studio City, California, one of the top professional level music schools in the world. He taught guitar as well as film scoring. In 1998, he was inducted into the Mississippi Music Hall of Fame, and in 1999, Millsaps College in Jackson, conferred an honorary Doctorate of Arts on Mr. Lowe in recognition of his lifetime of outstanding musical accomplishments. On July 17, 2009, Mundell Lowe returned home to Laurel, the city he ran away from in 1938. In recognition of a lifetime of musical achievement he was given a key to the city and honored by the Mayor, Melvin Mack, who proclaimed July 18, 2009, Mundell Lowe Day in Laurel. Mundell Lowe, Lloyd Wells, and Jim Ferguson presented a matinee show and an evening show at The Laurel Little Theatre to large enthusiastic audiences. Mississippi artists, Bill Clark (who produced the show), The Cee Jay's, Bob Saxton, and Staci Stringer also honored him through musical presentations. Lowe is married to the singer Betty Bennett, and appeared on her 1990 recording The Song Is You, with Bob Cooper, George Cables, Monty Budwig and Roy McCurdy.Interview: Betty Bennett (Part 2) JazzWax. Retrieved 10 June 2013. Discography As leader *1953: The Mundell Lowe Quintet (RCA Victor) *1955: The Mundell Lowe Quartet (Riverside) *1956: Guitar Moods (Riverside) *1956: New Music of Alec Wilder (Riverside) *1957: A Grand Night for Swinging (Riverside) *1958: Porgy & Bess (RCA Camden) *1959: TV Action Jazz! (RCA Camden) *1960: Themes from Mr. Lucky, the Untouchables and Other TV Action Jazz (RCA Camden) *1974: California Guitar (Famous Door) - with Roger Kellaway and Jimmy Rowles *1977: Souvenirs (Jazz Alliance, 1977–92) *1978: The Incomparable (Dobre Records) *1989: Sweet ‘n’ Lovely (Fresh Sound Records) - with Tete Montoliu *1996: The Return of the Great Guitars (Concord) - with Charlie Byrd and Herb Ellis *2000: Mundell’s Moods (Nagel-Heyer) Film soundtracks *1961: ''Satan in High Heels'' (soundtrack) (Charlie Parker) *1971: ''Billy Jack'' (soundtrack) (Warner Bros.) *1972: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) TV scores *''The Wild Wild West'' *''Love on a Rooftop'' *''Hawaii Five-O'' *''Starsky and Hutch'' *''Attack on Terror: The FBI vs. the Ku Klux Klan'' *''Tarantulas: The Deadly Cargo'' *''B.A.D. Cats'' As sideman With Tony Bennett *''My Heart Sings'' (Columbia, 1961) *''Who Can I Turn To'' (Columbia, 1964) With Gene Bianco *''Harp, Skip & Jump'' (RCA Camden, 1958) With Benny Carter *''Further Definitions'' (Impulse!, 1961–66) * Live and Well in Japan (OJC, 1977) With Rosemary Clooney *"On the First Warm Day" (Columbia, 1952) With Sammy Davis Jr. *''Mood to Be Wooed'' (Decca, 1957) With Blossom Dearie *''Once Upon a Summertime'' (Verve, 1959) With Don Elliott and Rusty Dedrick *''Counterpoint for Six Valves'' (Riverside, 1955-56) With Jimmy Forrest *''Soul Street'' (New Jazz, 1962) With Ella Fitzgerald *''Rhythm Is My Business'' (Verve, 1962) With Billie Holiday *"Weep No More" / "Girls Were Made to Take Care of Boys" (Decca, 1948) *"My Man" / "Porgy" (Decca, 1948) *"Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do" / "Baby Get Lost" (Decca, 1949) With Barry Manilow *''2:00 AM Paradise Cafe'' (Arista, 1984) With Carmen McRae *''Carmen McRae'' (Bethlehem, 1954) *''A Foggy Day'' (Stardust, 1955) *''By Special Request'' (Decca, 1955) *''Blue Moon'' (Decca, 1956) *''Birds of a Feather'' (Decca, 1959) *''Carmen McRae sings Billie Holiday'' (Harmony, 1961) *''Bittersweet'' (Focus, 1964) With Joe Mooney *''The Greatness of Joe Mooney'' (Columbia, 1963) With Charlie Parker *''The Legendary Rockland Palace Concert, Volume 1'' (Jazz Classics, 1952) With André Previn * Uptown (Telarc, 1990) * Old Friends (Telarc, 1992) * Kiri Sidetracks: The Jazz Album (Polygram, 1992) - with Kiri Te Kanawa With Johnnie Ray *"Cry" (Okeh, 1951) With Lalo Schifrin *''New Fantasy'' (Verve, 1964) With Shirley Scott *''For Members Only'' (Impulse!, 1963) With Sarah Vaughan *''Sarah Vaughan in Hi-Fi'' (Columbia, 1949-50) *''After Hours'' (Roulette, 1961) with George Duvivier With Ben Webster * The Soul of Ben Webster (Verve, 1957–58) References External links *Classic Jazz Guitar.com: biography of Mundell Lowe *Biography of Mundell Lowe * Category:Guitarists